We’re down to about ten games remaining in the NBA’s 2020-21 regular season, and once again, questions are swirling around the Los Angeles Lakers. As we neared the start of the postseason last year, we wondered whether coming back from the unusual break would damage the Lakers’ chances, especially as they struggled once regular season play resumed in the “bubble.” They managed to right the ship and win the title, and they were the favorites going into this season. However, injuries to Anthony Davis (who returned last week after a lengthy absence due to a calf injury and Achilles tendinosis) and LeBron James (who remains out) have damaged their chances.
Who should you take going into the playoffs? We have some ideas that could help your online NBA betting chances.
NBA News: Playoff Updates — Upsets, Dark Horses & Favorites
Utah Jazz: Favorite
Don’t let that loss to Minnesota the other night push you away from the Jazz. Yes, Utah blew a 17-point, first-half lead. Yes, Joe Ingles went 1 of 9 from the floor for his worst night as a shooter this year. However, the Jazz haven’t dropped off much when Ingles fills in for Donovan Mitchell (out through Sunday with a sprained ankle) or Mike Conley, going 14-4 when he starts for either one of them. The consistency has been there all season long.
Brooklyn Nets: Ripe for an Upset
Brooklyn’s “Big Three” has only played 16 games together this season. Kevin Durant looked solid in his return from a hamstring injury on Sunday, dropping 33 points on the Phoenix Suns in 28 minutes. However, James Harden does not have a timetable to return from his hamstring injury. Brooklyn is 20-6 against Western Conference competition this season — but can they make it out of the East?
Phoenix Suns: Favorite
Phoenix lost to Brooklyn on Sunday, making it the first time since January that the Suns lost back-to-back games. That streak came in a three-game skid between January 22 and 27, and that is the only time they’ve lost consecutive games at all this year. Two of those were overtime losses to Denver a week after some COVID-19-related postponements. The steady hand of Chris Paul has helped this team rise high in the West, and they show no signs of slowing down.
L.A. Clippers: Ripe for an Upset
Yes, the Clippers have won four straight and 17 of 20. Yes, Paul George has at least 30 points in seven of his last eight games. However, the injury bug is still a problem, with Kawhi Leonard (foot), Serge Ibaka (back) and Patrick Beverley (hand) still out. Missing key players is a recipe for problems in a seven-game series.
Philadelphia: Ripe for an Upset
The 76ers were cruising to the top seed in the East this time last week, but then they dropped four in a row, including a pair to the Bucks in Milwaukee, and so now they find themselves behind Brooklyn. Philadelphia still holds the tiebreaker over the Nets, but this mystifying stretch of poor basketball raises the same questions over the past few seasons: can the 76ers really contend through the mental grind of the playoffs?
Milwaukee Bucks: Ripe for an Upset
The Bucks beat Philadelphia twice this week — and lost to Phoenix and Atlanta. This is a real issue in the East — no one really seems primed to make the sort of run that would let them pull away from the rest. Milwaukee has a two-game set next week against the Nets that could pull them into range for the top seed, but which East team really wants to win the conference?
Los Angeles Lakers: Ripe for an Upset
AD is back, but the Lakers still dropped games in Dallas Thursday and Saturday, blowing a 17-point lead in the second game. The Lakers are now in fourth place, while Dallas is just 1 ½ games behind them in fifth. Will the Mavericks keep up their strong play from the last week, or will they stop playing defense again? Will the Lakers be able to flip the switch again this season in the playoffs?
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